


Sweet Corruption into Enlightenment

by Fortheoneatopthecity



Category: Vampire: The Masquerade, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Character Interpretation, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood Drinking, Cainites of LA Discord server challenge, Corruption, Follower of Set LaCroix, Followers of Set, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Malkavian (Vampire: The Masquerade), Malkavian Nines, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sensual Vampire bites, The Many Clans of Sebastian Lacroix, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Unhealthy Relationships, Visions, Visions in dreams
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-17 01:01:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29584833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fortheoneatopthecity/pseuds/Fortheoneatopthecity
Summary: For the Cainites of LA Discord server challenge: What if Sebastian LaCroix was embraced into the clan of the Followers of Set?To many in Kindred society, the new Prince Sebastian LaCroix is yet another charming and ambitious Ventrue Ancilla Prince looking to make a name for himself by finally bringing the Anarch Freestate of Los Angeles back into the hands of the Camarilla, but it's nothing more than a well-crafted lie to hide his true goals for the city. For Sebastian LaCroix was never embraced as a Ventrue in 1815 after Waterloo but rather in 1799, in Egypt as an agent of Set to spread corruption and weaken the Camarilla from within in preparation for Set's return. And the total corruption of the Kindred of Los Angeles shall be his greatest triumph if he can get the most incorruptible and beloved Anarch Baron, Nines Rodrigeuz to fall with him into enlightenment... However, he soon discovers there is more to the Downtown Baron than he had first thought, and the constant visions of Set's memories along with the arrival of the Ankaran sarcophagus have him setting his sights on becoming Set himself...
Relationships: Sebastian LaCroix/Nines Rodriguez
Comments: 11
Kudos: 10
Collections: The Many Clans of Sebastian Lacroix





	Sweet Corruption into Enlightenment

The stars shone so bright in the night sky tonight that Sebastian LaCroix was able to see the constellations that covered Nuit’s body, Nuit the Queen of Infinite Space, the Sky Goddess, Mother of all the Gods including his favourite God and Father of his clan, Set. A wondrous sight which he did not get to experience much these modern nights due to the air pollution in the cities.

However, as he raised his arms to greet the night sky, in praise of Nuit for swallowing the sun and shielding the descendants of her son, he soon realised that he was not looking through his own eyes but another’s, for his own arms were not as beautifully muscled nor his skin such a dark golden brown, and he could hear his heartbeat, and the cold air was still able to give him goosebumps. Scanning from a beautifully carved balcony overlooking a grand ancient Egyptian city, he could see torchlight illuminating the homes of the capital’s citizens.

Even with the darkness casting its shadow over the city, Sebastian found himself in awe of being able to witness what was now only afforded to the memory of Methuselahs and Ancients, the grandness of Set’s time. He would do everything possible to hold onto this vision, this clue to the great mystery of his clan’s founder, bringing him to more of an understanding of the real Set. And as the night sky began to lighten with the golden rays of Ra’s rising, perhaps this would bring him closer to remembering his once greatest delight, the sun.

But as the sun fully rose, his vision became blinded by a constant bright white light that burned his eyes. Blood tears streamed down Sebastian’s cheeks as Ra’s golden rays scorched his body, it had now to be his own for Set would not be so paralysed, sobbing and so utterly helpless burning in the sun. He found himself pleading, praying and screaming for someone or something to save him, for he had come too far to meet his final death here and now.

Thankfully, the vision, along with the near unspeakable pain, finally ended and Sebastian awoke in his pale gold silk bed sheets. The moonlight shone upon him from a nearby window as a ghoul servant pulled open the thick royal blue curtains, before standing by, awaiting his instructions.

Sebastian’s beast hissed hungrily at the sound of the quickened beating of his servant’s heart and the longing in their eyes for the kiss, his kiss especially. With a simple gesture, his servant, almost with a lack of grace, hastily removed any clothing that would get in the way and clambered onto the bed. Sebastian sat up fully and gently grasped onto their shoulders, kissing along their collarbone and up to the artery before sinking his fangs in. 

The ghoul moaned needfully and clung onto Sebastian’s shoulders as he feasted upon the sweet-tasting blood laced with a touch of fine wine. He could have drunk from them until their heart had finally stopped beating and truly slaked his hunger for the evening but he knew better, that they were more useful to him alive than as his meal, his sire had taught him well.

Instead, he slowly pulled his fangs off the ghoul and licked away the bite mark, watching their eyes become glassy as the kiss’s pleasurable haze overtook them before they slowly recovered. Then their eyes became hungry and pitiable, as their master’s kiss was not his ghoul servant’s only vice, but also his blood. 

And Sebastian wasn’t in the business of denying indulging his ghoul’s desire for no good reason. He bit into his wrist and held it out, watching as his blood slowly dripped out, and his servant, with incredible speed, grabbed onto his wrist, sucking greedily. Absentmindedly stroking the ghoul’s hair as they drank their fill, Sebastian glanced at the clock on the nightstand, it was about thirty minutes until nine o’clock. His first meeting with the Baron of Downtown, Nines Rodriguez, the rising star of what was still left of the Anarch movement in Los Angeles, was sure to be interesting judging from the file Sebastian’s agents had compiled.

After Jeremy MacNeil had died during the Battle of Signal Hill at the hands of the Kuei-jin and the betrayal of long-time members of the LA Freestates, Salvador Garcia and Louis Fortier, the Anarchs had taken quite the beating. And with the arrival of both the Camarilla and the Sabbat, the Anarchs’ spirits should have been utterly crushed, but Nines Rodriguez had quickly become the one beacon of hope among the young Anarchs owning to his great charisma and seemingly incorruptible morals. 

Sebastian had to admit that this supposed ‘man of the people’ intrigued him, for he had doubts that one as long lived and hardened as Rodriguez could ever really be as saintly as reported. Surely it had to be a clever ploy, playing at being a man of the people and a martyr to rope in as many young, impressionable Kindred to his side to increase his ever-growing cult of personality. But if the Downtown Baron was as good and decent as everyone thought, then it would be clear that Rodriguez had yet to be truly tested, the boundaries of his sinful desires unexplored or suppressed, ripe for the chance to be led down the road of ruin… or enlightenment.

Once his ghoul had in his opinion had enough, Sebastian gently pushed them away from his wrist and with a snap of his fingers drew them out of their daze, ordering them to retrieve the outfit he would wear for the meeting, a cream-coloured three-piece suit, a gold tie and snake-skin shoes, accessorised with the gold-crested rings of a Dark Age era Ventrue house, most befitting for a Ventrue Camarilla Prince. It was of the upmost importance to add little touches to your disguise to make it as believable as possible. Kindred were observant, especially Elders with their constant suspicions would notice anything amiss, Sebastian’s sire had stressed that point heavily during his early years of training.

While dressing, Sebastian briefly wondered how the old man was doing and considered if he should contact him after the meeting, at the very least to discuss with his sire the dream he had had, the pleasant vision of the past turned nightmare still clung onto his mind. After all he wasn’t the only one having these dreams. According to his sire, every true follower of Set had been receiving these visions, and there was much debate on what this could mean. 

Most likely this implied that the return of Set was near at hand, but for Sebastian there was another theory slowly building in his mind. While Set might perhaps be returning to them to liberate the world, the prophecies had never stated in what form. So, who was to say that the Clan founder would be waking from torpor? Perhaps Set would be instead reborn in these modern nights? Or what if he were to choose one among his followers to become his vessel? Could anyone become Set with the right power and means?

So much to ponder on for which Sebastian sadly did not have the time. Later, when he had the chance, he would be able to discuss and debate his theories with his sire. For now, he had a Baron to meet and examine, to observe and poke at the cracks of his moral character…

Sebastian was reminded of why he didn’t have much love for nature parks anymore, for he was experiencing the familiar creeping feeling of watchful eyes upon him as the limo drew closer to the entrance of Griffith Park, the place Rodriguez had chosen for their meeting. It was always the case whenever he brushed close to Lupin territory. Whilst the vitae flowing throughout his veins was the perfect drug for his purposes, on the flipside it also attracted the deadly attentions of Werewolves. 

It wasn’t a unique feature of Sebastian’s alone, for his sire held the same blessing and curse in his veins as did all those of their particular bloodline, and he had always warned Sebastian to avoid Lupin territories as much as possible, explaining that the Lupins could sense the inherent corruption in all Kindred, but theirs especially was the most noticeable and enticing. 

He had always taken his sire’s advice seriously, but he’d never truly understood the reality of it until a near-deadly encounter with a rabid werewolf back in 1928 in Germany. The Werewolf in question with their pitch-black fur and glowing orange eyes had been determined to pursue Sebastian non-stop even when he had managed to flee to a nearby small village where the humans were celebrating a festival. Their cheerful revelry was soon transformed into panicked screams as the monster began slaughtering the human inhabitants, all in the effort to reach him. It was quite the massacre, and it did not slow the werewolf down in the least, and Sebastian had held the very real fear that that was how he would meet his final death. But thankfully for Sebastian, Kamau, his Nagloper bodyguard had managed to reach him and carry him away to safety in his Giant Bat form. 

Needless to say, he had been very reluctant to visit any wooded areas or parks ever since. Even in New York, he had needed to prepare himself whenever he had to visit Central Park. Much like tonight, he had felt eyes upon him, threatening to come closer and that desperate urge to coat their talons with his vitae… 

Sebastian was able to keep his features neutral, but it was difficult to take his mind off his very real fear that there could be a repeat of what had happened in Germany. Rightful paranoia aside, he however did not believe that Baron Rodriguez was leading him into a trap by making the meeting place at a picnic table right by the cable cart station, as it was thankfully not too close to the actual Lupin territory, that was deeper in the park. 

And besides, it seemed rather gauche to set up the murder of another faction leader without checking to see if they were worthy of being a chew toy for a werewolf first. Also, Kamau’s presence as Sebastian’s Sheriff during the meeting should put off any foolish notions in Rodriguez’s head of attempting a recreation of the outcome of the late Prince Michaela’s tragic attempt at diplomacy with Archbishop Polonia. And if Sebastian played his cards right with Rodriguez, the Baron of Downtown would soon be wrapped around his little finger.

The picnic table where Rodriguez was seated came into view as the limo driver parked. Sebastian stepped out of the limo and he heightened his sight to take in the Baron’s appearance and demeanour. Exactly like the photos provided by his agents, Nines Rodriguez was a six-foot-tall, Latino man with tan olive skin, short, cropped black hair, a goatee that was on its way to becoming a full beard, a most impressive muscular physique and beautifully intense fiery blue eyes. In short, the sort of man Sebastian would very much enjoy seducing if Rodriguez gave him the hint of that ever being a possibility.

The bright streetlamp shining overhead the picnic table made Sebastian’s skin prick up and his eyes sting a little, putting him even more on edge as he walked over to Rodriguez. But that wasn’t the worst part, not even close. The worst part was that he could feel the man’s intense gaze upon him, not merely on his appearance alone, as was usual. Rather than a mental stripping off of all his clothes, Sebastian could almost feel every layer of his mask being slowly peeled away. Unexpectedly, he realised that he was feeling Rodriguez probing his mind and quickly mentally pushed back against his will to read him. 

Rodriguez blinked in surprise for a second, his expression morphing into confusion before becoming unreadable. Strangely, Sebastian couldn’t help but find the Baron’s rather blatant attempt at reading his mind interestingly endearing; it lacked all forms of subtlety and would never fly in Camarilla cities, especially in Elysium. It was such a quaint trait for someone who had yet to contend with one like himself. Of course, that was assuming it wasn’t a ploy on Rodriguez’s part to pretend to be a naïve fool. 

Once Sebastian was fully seated opposite Rodriguez, bearing the full brunt of the blaring light of the streetlamp, he laid out his hands flat on the table and with a pleasant smile greeted him, “Good evening, Baron Rodriguez, I do hope you and your territory have been well these nights. I have to admit that I am most pleased you have agreed to meet with me and discuss terms.” 

Rodriguez’s eyes studied Sebastian’s face and hands, paying special attention to the Ventrue signet rings before bringing his own hands onto the table, showing off the unusual collection of rings on his fingers. One of them, on his right index finger, was a heart-shaped mood ring, the sort that a teenage girl would wear. Rodriguez must’ve warmed his body with his vitae, as the silly thing was actually slowly shifting colours, at the moment it was a dark blue colour. “We’re doing well, despite everything,” the Baron of Downtown began, his tone barely hiding his distrust, “I wanna say that the only reason I’ve agreed to meet with the Camarilla is so we can lay out some ground rules.”

Sebastian nodded, “Straight to business then, I do appreciate your willingness to not waste time with formalities. I cannot promise that I can necessarily agree to all your suggestions, but please do fire away.”

Perhaps he had come off a little condescending, for Rodriguez frowned at him slightly before answering. “I don’t care much for your presence in Downtown, but I recognise that you’ve earned your half from the Sabbat that had encroached there,” he stated bitterly as if were a tough pill he had to swallow. 

Sebastian refrained from pointing out to him that if he hadn’t pulled back and had actually launched an assault on the five Sabbat packs that had invaded his territory… no need to poke at a sore spot. “Well, the Sabbat are rabid dogs that need to be put down for the good of everyone.” The second he said that Rodriguez visibly twitched, his right hand becoming tightly clenched and Sebastian realised he had deeply misplaced his words.

“Not every Kindred that gives themselves to the beast needs to be put down like an animal! Some just need a chance to get their humanity back!” Rodriguez said sharply, his fiery blue eyes burning brightly, “So, to take this back to the ground rules I want to lay down, the first one is; No killing any strays or fledglings. If your Camarilla court doesn’t want to deal with them, you send them to me. No questions, no excuses, you just bring them to the Last Round, and I’ll take care of them!” 

The conviction in Rodriguez’s voice convinced Sebastian that he was indeed dealing with a bleeding heart after all. The allure he had felt for corrupting the Baron only increased, this man was practically the perfect temple leader in the making, and he didn’t even know it. What might he accomplish, if he used his cult of personality to its full potential once he was enlightened in the true nature of the world? It would surely earn Sebastian much prestige among his kin for enlightening a man like Rodriguez!

He calmed himself, knowing that he could not let his excitement slip out. “I see that you are most passionate about your duties as Baron. I have to say that it is a quality I find most admirable, but surely that could put quite the strain upon you to have so many desperate fledglings in your care all at once.” 

“I can handle it, after all, who else can they depend on? Not the Sabbat for sure since they would just make them into cannon fodder! They can go to the other Barons, the Camarilla or the Kuei-jin, but in the end they’ll just get used, abused before being killed or abandoned!” The way Rodriguez had angrily emphasised the word ‘abandoned’ made it seem like it was a fate worse than the final death. Perhaps it was in his book.

“I do understand, but know this, my Princedom has no interest in killing helpless, stray childer. It is not popular among the Camarilla Elders, but I believe that a society has no function without serving their people to the upmost of its abilities,” Sebastian said softly, his hand touching gently Rodriguez’s warm clenched fist, “And I do really wish to work with you, to prove to you that the Camarilla will be better than Don Sebastian’s tyrannical reign.” Perhaps touching Rodriguez’s fist was much too forward for a first meeting, as he slid his fist out of Sebastian’s touch. “My apologies for overstating my- ”

Rodriguez’s eyes sharpened slightly at Sebastian, he did however unclench his fist and lay it flat back on the table again. “I’m sure. You’ve said a lotta honeyed words so far, but I’d rather you’d be quiet and just listen to the rest of my ground rules first. We might agree on the first matter, but the rest I can see you having trouble with. So, I have a question, how do you feel about restricted feeding areas?”

“Well, they are a usual way to do things in most Camarilla cities, but I can relax them to the best of my abilities.” 

Rodriguez’s fingers tapped on the table slowly, “Can you make it so that no-one feeds on homeless people and kids in your territory?”

“I fully understand not allowing anyone to feed on children, but surely gifting the kiss onto the homeless population would a brief blessing and comfort for them?”

His right index finger tapped faster, the sound ringing in Sebastian’s ears, the colour on the mood ring now a reddish-brown. “Yeah, but the kiss is addictive for a lot of humans, and most homeless people are on the streets in the first place because they were addicts, so you are trading one vice that’s screwed them over for another. And a lot of Kindred also think it’s okay to just drain them dry and dump their corpses ‘cause most people believe they are worthless and have brought it on themselves! They need help, someone in their corner to help them back on their feet again, not treat them like they don’t matter!” The fire in Rodriguez’s eyes as he spoke burned so brightly that it stung Sebastian’s eyes more than the light of the streetlamp. 

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, hoping that the Baron didn’t notice his discomfort. “Of course, I will make sure that all Camarilla members do not feed on any children or homeless people.” The Baron of Downtown took a deep breath at Sebastian’s voiced assurances, the brightness in his eyes dulling. Captivating as it had been, Sebastian was relieved that he had been able to calm the man down. “Now, was there a third ground rule?”

The Baron’s face relaxed a little, though the intensity remained in his voice. “I do have more to say. Third, the Thin-bloods and the Caitiffs! Don’t even think of touching them, they’ve been through enough to be hunted down for stupid superstitious reasons! So, either actually ‘serve’ them or leave them the fuck alone!”

Sebastian squared his shoulders. “I do believe that we can do that, so long as you are actually able to keep from breaking the masquerade.”

“I can.”

“Well, I do believe if I’m to convince the Primogen to be even on board for this, I would have to visit your territory and check on how everything is going and- ” Sebastian paused for a moment, seeing the hint of fang Rodriguez was baring, “ -well, it’s only fair that you get to do the same.”

Rodriguez’s eyebrow rose, his eyes filling with brief confusion then becoming suspicious. “Why?”

“I want to prove to you and your charges that I am sincere when I say that this time the Camarilla leadership is serious about protecting all Kindred!” Sebastian stated impassionedly, though in a Ventrue, rather than Brujah fashion, calm and fatherly.

He could see the Baron’s lips twitch and his fingers tapping fast again, the mood ring changing from a light green to a pale yellow colour. Rodriguez stared at Sebastian for a long moment before finally saying, “Alright, prove it to me that you actually give a shit about all the Kindred in Downtown, and we’ll make a deal, but I don’t want to join the Camarilla. Maybe you are an okay Prince when it comes down to it, but the rest of the Camarilla, I don’t want a thing to do with them unless they can show that they’ve changed their ways. And maybe in a hundred years they will, but I’m not holding my undying breath.”

“Understood, shall we shake on it?” Sebastian asked as he held out his hand, and after a long second, Rodriguez grasped it in a tight grip and shook it. 

After shaking each other’s hands for a few seconds too long, Sebastian gently brushed his thumb against the skin of Rodriguez’s palm as they parted. The man’s eyes bulged a little in response, and a slight hint of pink came over his cheeks. 

Sebastian smiled kindly, pleased that perhaps he would be able to have some fun in his corruption of Rodriguez after all. “Wonderful, and when shall we set up the first inspection of each other’s territories?” 

It was a relief for Sebastian to be back safe in his haven, away from Griffith Park and the watchful eyes of the Lupins. Though it hadn’t been too bad this time. Despite everything, the meeting with Rodriguez had done wonders for him. 

And it had seemed to have gone rather well, he had gotten an idea of his target’s true personality and built a rapport with him quite quickly. And now all he needed was to gain the man’s trust and find out his secret desires and sins, so as to truly tempt and corrupt him…


End file.
